SDSM answers Mickoski: “We stand for institutions, not for a gang”

North Macedonia’s opposition, SDSM, answered today with a press statement the accusations made by prime minister and VMRO-DPMNE leader Hristijan Mickoski at the party’s rally in Brvenica last night. “Let’s resolve Mickoski’s dilemmas: we are for institutions — not for a gang,” the SDSM reaction reads, as carried today by Macedonian media including Skopje1, Makfax and Press24.

The reaction follows Mickoski’s statements in Brvenica, where — as Makfax reports — he accused the opposition of opposing everything the government proposes and implements, including government policies and projects, and of being “for a marijuana economy”. At the same rally, Mickoski said SDSM “is for selling Macedonia”: “put a blank sheet of paper in front of them and they sign everything.”

In its statement, SDSM treats this language as evidence of the arrogance of power and accuses the government of dodging debate on citizens’ real problems. The opposition stresses that its choice is the strengthening of institutions, not the path of insults and political pressure.

The political debate in North Macedonia has heated up ahead of the extraordinary local elections, with Brvenica among the municipalities where VMRO-DPMNE and the opposition are running intensive campaigns — last night’s rally was held under the slogan “One Brvenica for all! Let’s keep the strength of unity!”